How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"I want to remember them on my own, but I don't think I can." (8.16)
For people like Pressia who were very young during the Detonations, memories are scarce, no matter how hard they try. But sometimes when she tries to remember, she ends up making up memories. Memory is malleable, folks.
Quote #5
"I have to tunnel back through that part if I want to get to the Before. I feel like it's a locked door to an attic. If I open it, I'll find the thins my mind has blanked out from the detonations, and, deeper in the attic, maybe memories of my mother and father." (8.18)
Pressia feels like there's just a metaphorical door somewhere in her mind that she needs to unlock. What she needs to realize, though, is that there might not be anything behind that door.